👀 Audience Retention on the Rise: Viewers Less Likely to Abandon Series
U.S. audiences are becoming increasingly loyal to new content, with the Video Through Rate (VTR) for debut seasons hitting a three-year high.
According to data from Digital i, users across Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and Prime Video watched an average of 54.3% of episodes in new shows throughout 2025—a marked improvement over previous years.
Platform Performance:
- Disney+ Leads the Charge: The service emerged as the primary driver of this trend, seeing its average VTR jump from 49.1% to 57.3%. Analysts credit Star Wars franchise projects for effectively “gluing” viewers to their screens.
- Steady Gains: Netflix saw its retention rise from 54.1% to 56.5%, while HBO Max grew from 51.1% to 54.2%.
- The Prime Video Outlier: Amazon’s streaming service was the only major player to report a decline, dropping from 50.1% to 46.1%. Experts attribute this to the unique nature of the Amazon Prime subscription—many users receive access as part of a larger bundle and tend to engage with content more passively or infrequently.
In an oversaturated market, millions of subscribers are now consuming more episodes per series than in years past. In this environment, script quality and early-season “hooks” have become the decisive factors for a platform’s survival.
Source: Dni Medialogistiki
